Letters from the Lighthouse

We weren’t supposed to be going to the pictures that night. We weren’t even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.

February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he’s not used to company and he certainly doesn’t want any evacuees.

Desperate to be helpful, Olive becomes his post-girl, carrying secret messages (as she likes to think of the letters) to the villagers. But Olive has a secret of her own. Her older sister Sukie went missing in an air raid, and she’s desperate to discover what happened to her. And then she finds a strange coded note which seems to link Sukie to Devon, and to something dark and impossibly dangerous.

Review

An adventure of old-fashioned charm (Sunday Times, Book of the Week)

If your middle grade kids (ages 8-12) haven’t discovered Emma Carroll yet, then they’re missing out. (Irish Times)

A triumph: a finely crafted and deeply atmospheric mystery, with themes of prejudice, refugees and belonging which resonate poignantly with current world events. (The Bookseller)

This is modern classic which should be read and loved by generations to come. (Alison Kerridge Waterstones, Bury St Edmunds)

Emma Carroll is brilliant. Everything she writes is brilliant. This is a fact. Yet, somehow, she has managed to top her previous works with the stunning Letters From The Lighthouse. There are some true heart-in-your-mouth moments and heavily moving parts that make it so difficult to put it down. You simply need this book if you’re a Year 5 or 6 teacher. (The Teaching Booth)

There are echoes of Michael Morpurgo and Nina Bawden, but in a style of her own Carroll (The Girl Who Walked on Air, Strange Star) sews together accessible history with a cracking plot and a character to love in the strong, principled Olive. This gripping read for anyone aged 7 or over is a pertinent reminder of how the effort of a group of individuals can shine light on the darkest of nights. (The Times Children’s Book of the Week)

A gripping adventure…interwoven with a plea to welcome refugees with generosity, rather than mistrust. (Guardian)

With a rich cast of village characters and a theme of prejudice and acceptance, it brings history close to us (Sunday Times Summer Reading)

Letters from the Lighthouse will appeal to readers of all dispositions, as Carroll ensures the historical elements never overwhelm the story, which is as accessible as anything set in modern times. That said, Letters From the Lighthouse will also sit nicely with other classic second World War tales, like Nina Bawden’s Carrie’s War and, more recently, Shirley Hughes’s Whistling in the Dark. (Irish Times)

Emma Carroll is a natural storyteller and her sixth novel cements her place as the go-to writer for middle-grade historical fiction. (Booktrust)

Book Description

From the queen of historical fiction, Letters From the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll is a stunningly evocative wartime drama, and sure to keep you breathlessly reading to its very last page